Engineer
Allied Engineer "Truly, the deadliest weapon of the Allies is not the shotgun, but the slide rule." :- INASA Chief Administrator Thomas O. Paine Tactical Analysis * The Engineer: The main purpose of Allied Engineers is to repair friendly structures and capture enemy and tech structures, functions which they perform efficiently and swiftly. * The Medic: Thanks to their medical knowledge, first aid training, and medical supplies, Engineers are able to set up medical tents and treat any wounded friendlies nearby. * Go Blue Team!: Thanks to their jetskis, Engineers well equipped to cross any environment, and water is no barrier to them. * Toolkit only: Allied Engineers do not receive any weapons training, and their heavy toolkit slows them down somewhat, making them helpless against enemy attack. Background Intellectuals are a well-respected bunch within the Allied Nations. Spurred forth by a dream of a technological paradise that seems tantalizingly close, professors and graduates of the great universities and colleges throughout North America and Europe are frequently given blank checks and government support in pursuit of scientific discovery. The result is that the Allies remain on the cutting edge of technology, forever one step ahead of (some) their rivals. Though other nations may have specific fields of study in which they excel, the Allies' mastery of a broad range of sciences has always given them an edge economically, socially and in warfare. However, as a result of this relentless technological advance, only the very best can be trusted to maintain the military technology of the Allied Nations. These individuals are known as Field Engineers, or simply Engineers. Required to possess at least one PHD, Engineers perform a wide variety of functions on the battlefield; they operate and monitor military bases, breach enemy structures in order to take them over, operate field equipment, repair damaged vehicles, operate UAVs, perform field research, act as first-response EMTs and trauma specialists, and plot artillery trajectories. The life of an Engineer is hectic and varied, and they must be ready for anything. As they are unarmed noncombatants, Engineers must enter the field without a means of self-defence and protected only by smocks and hardhats. They know they are priority targets for snipers and enemy guard animals, and due to their lack of military training and cases of heavy, multipurpose equipment, they are easily outrun. Therefore, these personnel must rely on the protection of their comrades while they perform the vital duties that keep the Allied war machine running in top condition. Quotes Just the Stats Confederate Mechanic I'll need some duct tape, a paperclip, and a stick of gum. :- Confederate Mechanic Tactical Analysis * Need a Repair?: In addition to the standard functions of other engineers, the Mechanic can repair damage done to friendly vehicles. * This is My Boomstick!: The Mechanic also has a shotgun capable of dealing with lightly armoured infantry such as Attack Dogs, Conscripts and other Engineers. However, it lacks the rate of fire to deal with more numerous or tougher infantry, and any sort of armoured vehicles are out of the question. * Front to Enemy: The proximity triggered Claymore mine that the Mechanic can plant detonates directionally, so make sure it's pointed the correct way. * Making Peace: Mechanics who have spent a long time on the field have usually killed a Peacekeeper or two, and have looted a Grummond-8 Pump Action Shotgun, which shoots much faster than the break action shotgun most Mechanics carry. Operational History In a revolutionary movement such as the Confederate Revolutionaries, rebel forces must constantly stay on the move, attacking and withdrawing. This tactic exacts its toll however, for constant usage of vehicles and equipment exerts so much stress that even hardy vehicles such as Rangers need fixing once in a while, and equipment such as the fibre optic cloaks on the Bulldogs break down. When this happens, the Mechanic is the go to guy (or rather girl) who fixes up everything to wrench wench quality. These engineers rarely have any type of formal education, and are more often than not taught by their family or employer on how to fix everything from toasters to a Japanese sports car. They do this through a combination of jury rigging and good old American ingenuity. They are versed in most forms of "practical sciences", and can do anything ranging from mechanical repair to building improvised explosive devices from a lunch box, a couple of bottlecaps from soda bottles, a cherry bomb and a homemade sensor device. In addition, mechanics do not shy away from fighting either, carrying powerful but slow firing break action shotguns, which in many cases were assembled by the Mechanics themselves. While slow to fire, their homemade weapons are effective in ensuring that any unwary soldiers or guard dogs are taken out. Mechanics are just as skilled in capturing neutral or enemy structures as other engineers; for them kind words (or the shotgun) get the job done. Just the Stats Soviet Combat Engineer "I once was professor." :- Combat Engineer Tactical Analysis * Capture-and-hold: Combat Engineers are frequently used to capture enemy facilities, which they accomplish instantly just as soon as they manage to get inside. Combat Engineers spend years and years training to accomplish these procedures swiftly * Armed and dangerous: Rather than discard a previous generation of side arms, the Union gave them to its combat engineers so that these men could feel better about themselves, and so they had something to do in their spare time. Combat Engineers' revolvers are crude but effective in some situations. * Bunker-building: That shovel gifted to each Combat Engineer is not purely ceremonial after all, for these tools can be used to quickly set up a bunker with room enough for several of the Unions' finest foot soldiers. As Combat Engineers do not have the raw supplies needed for these bunkers, they are authorised to file expense reports directly in the field. * Sputtering on the high seas: Combat engineers each have a collapsible personal boat that lets them travel at sea as readily as they can trudge about on land. Naturally, most Combat Engineers tend to prefer traveling in this method. History While few Soviet citizens would be inclined to openly admit it, not everyone born under the Union's banner has the physical strength and coordination necessary to serve in a frontline military capacity. Fortunately, some of these individuals make up for this ineptitude with an overabundance of intelligence. Year after year, the Union's Science and Information Ministers do an excellent job of identifying such people and encouraging them to join the ranks of the Combat Engineers. While Soviet Combat Engineers cannot be depended upon to fight firsthand, their technical aptitude and variety of useful battlefield skills makes them a cornerstone of the Union's military engagements. Combat Engineers hail from all walks of life: They are the Union's bookkeepers, professors, curators, symphony conductors, mechanics, shipwrights, and, of course, its civilian architects and engineers. Once drafted, Combat Engineers receive on-the-job training in control systems, computers, sabotage, and even basic marksmanship for self-defence. Because they are not frontline fighters to be thrown straight into harm's way, they are expected to work longer hours than the average conscript, and for a lower stipend and less in the way of rations, shelter, and amenities. Combat Engineers therefore have little spare time to rationalise their trade-off, which Science and Information Ministers explain away as a "noble sacrifice for the good of our Land." Irrespective of their work conditions, Combat Engineers are undeniably skilled at what they do, and even seem to take some pride in their work. They can capture enemy installations with remarkable ease, or restore Soviet facilities to a (relatively) pristine state in short order. Notably, the number of catastrophic accidents involving Soviet Super Reactors continues to drop year upon year after a stern memorandum from the Ministry of Experimental Science ordered Combat Engineers to focus on maintaining the Union's facilities rather than competing with one another to set new monthly records in Allied military structures captured. Indeed, if Combat Engineers have any sort of endemic problem in their ranks apart from their generally poor physical conditioning, it must be their dismissive attitudes toward their responsibilities. Many of these men are somewhat insubordinate, and known to walk a very thin line between sharing meals with conscripts like proper soldiers, and smelting flak pellets in the gulag. The Ministry of Experimental Science believes its Combat Engineers to be among the most well-taken-care-of members of the Red Army. They are issued knapsacks large enough to carry most of their worldly possessions, as well as hats to protect against weather. They are even rewarded with ceremonial shovels once their mandatory training is complete, as well as rubberized inflatable sputterboats that they can use for amphibious operations or the occasional day of rest. Apart from their worldly possessions, Combat Engineers had none of these other things under earlier regimes, points out the Ministry. Only men tend to be selected for combat engineering work, out of respect for traditional (and outdated) labour boundaries. Because Combat Engineers, by default, are unsuitable in conventional military roles, these men typically skew older as well as wiser than the average Soviet combatant. Just the Stats Imperial Engineer "With utmost humility!" :- Imperial Engineer Motto Tactical Analysis * The way of the Engineer: The number-one job requirement for Imperial engineers is to be able to capture facilities swiftly, and indeed, the speed with which they can accomplish a complete takeover is quite startling. An engineer need only get inside an enemy structure to quickly reconfigure it for Imperial use. * Fleet-footed: Imperial engineers are altogether lacking in any physical prowess whatsoever, although they do travel light. This means they can run much quicker than the average foot soldier, at least for brief periods of time until they invariably wind up having to catch their breath. However, such a desperate sprint can often mean the difference between a captured enemy structure and another Imperial engineer killed in action. * The collapsible aqua-scoot: One of the more-sophisticated pieces of equipment gifted to Imperial engineers is a portable, collapsible device that allows them to travel rather quickly by sea, without any physical exertion. This opens up a lot of tactical opportunities, in addition to being a more-exciting mode of locomotion than walking. * Defenceless: Imperial engineers receive no weapons training and are banned from carrying any weapons of any kind, for their safety and the safety of others around them. In turn, other Imperial forces are given a high priority to protect these men from harm. There is no proof as yet that Imperial engineers' semiformal attire is intended to dissuade enemy attention. History The Empire of the Rising Sun achieved its prominent place on the world's stage in no small part through its relentless pursuit of technological superiority. Among its millions of citizens, the Empire's socio-economic caste of so-called "Engineers" are especially devoted to the nation's pursuit of higher technology...and, some would say, their own personal gain in the process. In Japanese, the term "engineer" (or rather the phonetic "Enjiniiaa") is steeped in irony, having been appropriated from the same-sounding English expression for one who studies the technical sciences. The word connotes a certain moral and hierarchical superiority that simply does not translate back to the more-vocational term used in the Western world. Yet, from a practical point of view, it remains to be seen exactly in which ways Imperial engineers are in any way better than or even functionally different from either the Allied or Soviet equivalents. Competition aside, however, this means Imperial engineers must be treated with extreme caution in spite of their unassuming appearance, as they are field mechanics and saboteurs that can substantially affect the outcome of a battle. Although Imperial engineers receive no military training, and in fact are banned from physical training that goes beyond basic calisthenics, they are expected to serve in a military capacity before they can achieve a higher standing in Imperial society. In practice, engineers are used for such tasks as repairing structures that have sustained direct damage, or wresting control over neutral or enemy facilities deemed to be of value to the Empire of the Rising Sun. To successfully capture an enemy facility in the name of the Empire is the basic goal of any engineer, and they train for years in how to do this, and are uniquely capable of it among all Imperial forces. As a result, the prospective opportunity to be responsible for the capture of enemy equipment tends to be so exciting to Imperial engineers that they approach the task with something close to genuine enthusiasm. Though Imperial engineers are important to modern Imperial military operations, there exists a noticeable tension between rank-and-file military soldiers and these men, who straddle the line between administrative and military service. Intercepted transmissions from Imperial soldiers have included widespread complaints of Imperial engineers' "sniveling, groveling, selfish behavior", and how this directly impacts Imperial morale. While the generalization is likely too broad, it appears possible that soldiers resent engineers' personal pursuit of career advancement, while engineers in turn dislike the relatively brutish and callous quality of Imperial soldiers. The tension in the military ranks may well be a deliberate contrivance, used to channel aggressive energies that could then be directed toward the enemy. And besides, by successfully escorting Imperial engineers to their target locations, or by unsuccessfully defending them, Imperial soldiers seem to become emboldened by the loss of their unusual fighting companions. Behind the Scenes * Imperial engineers are typical business suit-wearing salarymen. Just the Stats Talon Craftsman "Ah, a challenge worthy of my skills!" :-A Craftsman Tactical Analysis * Brotherhood of Steel: Craftsmen are the Talon engineers, obviously, and do all the things that engineers do. However, these engineers take the sensible precaution of wearing armour, so they are noticeably more durable than their ill-advised counterparts. * No need to enter: Craftsmen differ from their counterparts in that they can repair defences, and don't need to enter the structure they are repairing; they can repair buildings, Crawlers and defences from the outside. * To hell, early: Craftsmen don't shy away from battle, either. Their Firestorm grenades can quickly turn a civilian building into a raging inferno with predictably distressing results for any garrison inside. * Still flesh and bone: While they can take more punishment than other engineers, Craftsmen still should not be actively thrown into the line of fire under normal conditions. They are ultimately as mortal as any other infantry. Background In spite of the durability of Talon Steel and the masterful craftsmanship of the Order's constructions, it's inevitable that things sometimes break down. This is no less true for the Order's Crawlers; their sheer complexity naturally means that they are also very maintenance intensive. To this end, there a good number of Talon personnel dedicated to the task of keeping the massively complex behemoths operational; they are known as Craftsmen, men with extensive training and experience in running the Order's most elaborate creations. When a Crawler deploys for a crusade, Craftsmen spend most of their time onboard the Crawler itself, keeping the steam boilers supplied with coal, operating the Crawler's analytical engines, performing regular maintenance, and in general ensuring that the Crawler runs smoothly. Most of the time, it is possible to pull a few Craftsmen away from their regular duties, and assign them to other tasks. With their expertise in all things mechanical, Craftsmen can perform a variety of tasks. For one thing, Craftsmen are well suited to the task of repairing structures like other engineers, given that they have a great deal of experience in such matters. However, unlike other engineers, Craftsmen aren't afraid to get their hands dirty; where most engineers conduct repairs from a control terminal inside a building, Craftsmen are well used to patching up damage with their bare hands and some tools; this is partially due to the Order's old fashioned technology, and while it means they work more slowly where it comes to repairs, they are capable of repairing defences and buildings without having to enter the building in question. Of course, like other engineers, Craftsmen can also capture buildings; the Order of the Talon has contrived to make sure it has up to date schematics on the buildings of other factions; supplied with the necessary blueprint scrolls, a Craftsman can break into an Allied Power Plant, take control in seconds, and then operate the building by himself. This allows the Talon to take over enemy assets in the battlefield, allowing the Talon to then turn the enemy's own forces against them. Of course, given that they are usually called upon for such tasks in the heat of battle, Craftsmen take the sensible precaution of wearing armour before venturing out from the safety of the Crawler. They are usually more fit than other engineers (as a result of their long hours of toil), which means that they can wear a vest of Talon Steel chain mail while scaling a building to get to a damaged portion. The Order also issues Craftsmen going into the field with incendiary grenades that they can use should the need arise. Craftsmen don't normally use these weapons, but they know that these grenades are extremely useful for burning enemy soldiers out of garrisoned buildings. Chinese Scholar I'll reverse the polarity! :- Anonymous Scholar Tactical Analysis *'Genetically Engineered Engineer': Clones of engineers, mechanics and scientists, Scholars are the Atomic Kingdom's engineers. They are amphibious, allowing them to cross water bodies with ease. Unlike other engineers, they are deployed in Engineering Teams of two Scholars each. *'Nuclear Engineering': With their programmed knowledge and know how, Scholars are capable of repairing buildings, and can also take over enemy structures. Additionally, their corruption grenades can be employed against enemy vehicles to gain funds, breaking them down into raw materials that can be fed straight into a duplicator. *'Mind the Fallout': Note that Scholars have no weapons apart from their corruption grenades, and neither their originals nor themselves have any prowess in unarmed combat. Add to this their status as priority targets for the enemy, and you will see why they need protection. Background Decades of war and a devastating nuclear exchange have left China stripped of resources. The soil has been leeched of its nutrients, the oil fields sucked dry, the seas empty of fish, the mines exhausted of ores. To some extent, the Atomic Kingdom has been able to compensate with its advanced technology, breaking material down to atoms and then reconstituting them again with duplicator technology. Still, for all its technology, the Atomic Kingdom still faces a number of shortages. Among these shortages, there is the shortage of skilled people to operate the Atomic Kingdom's infrastructure and technology. While among the ranks of the Atomic Kingdom's non-cloned survivors there are a number of engineers, scientists, and other trained professionals, they are too few and in any case too valuable to be sent out into the field. Instead, as with many other areas, the Kingdom had to substitute with clones. Unfortunately, radio-programming and cloning do have their limitations. While it is a fairly simple matter to radio program a clone with the knowledge required to operate a duplicator or fire a disruptor carbine, the Atomic Chinese is unable to simulate original thought and creativity by radio signals alone. As such, cloning a philosopher or an artist a thousand times over is not going to create a thousand thinkers or artists, however desirable such a result might be. Even so, radio signals can still be used to program clones with technical knowledge. While the instruction required is extensive, it is still within the limits of the Atomic Kingdom's technology. This way, the Atomic Kingdom can clone as many engineers and lab technicians as it needs, even though original thinkers remain a commodity in short supply. To differentiate them from other categories of clones, such clones are generally referred to as Scholars. The category of Scholar covers a large number of specialisations; Scholar can refer to both the clerk who compiles and keeps records and the technician who maintains an atomic generator. For the purposes of the Royal Guard, however, Scholars are typically used to refer to the engineers who maintain and repair buildings and equipment, and who are also programmed with the knowledge necessary to capture enemy structures. Like other specialisations falling under the category of Scholar, these engineers are ill equipped for combat, but are nevertheless issued with corruption grenades, small canisters that can be employed against vehicles. These grenades will rapidly break down vehicles into their constituent atoms, reducing the vehicles to a raw sludge that can be fed into a duplicator to produce more war machines for the Atomic Kingdom. Syndicate Immune "From the nerves, and the silver paths, I call up the dead." :- Neuromancer Tactical Analysis * I'm a Mechanical Man!: While most engineers must stupidly walk through the front door of a structure, the Immune captures structures from a distance, and can do so to multiple structures. He can also enter any friendly structure to instantly repair it, using blueprints downloaded straight into his brain. * Far-Sighted: For a small cost, an Immune can construct an Obelisk, a weak building with a large sight range, to spot for your long-ranged units. * Online Investment: By plugging into a hardline in a civilian structure, Immunes can begin accumlating funds for the Syndicate efforts through information brokering, identity theft, and insider trading. The income is low, but can add up considerably over time. * Online Purchase: Do note that, while versatile, Immunes take far longer than other engineers to capture enemy structures, and are unarmed and as such defenceless from any (physical) attacks. History "Do you know what I am? Just another guy who was trying to make money at another's expense. The only difference was that I am royally screwed now. I was a data trafficker. You know, one of those guys who've undergone cybernetic surgery to have a data storage system implanted in their head. It was all going fine, until she came along. I met this girl; she stole my heart, my wallet, and then left me in a ditch to rot and die. Sure I live in the Sprawls, but man, love at first sight is love. So she left me without letting me even say goodbye. I was a complete mess afterwards, doing some stuff I shouldn't have, but I got good at it. Really good. Misfortune, however, always comes back for seconds. I found someone better than me, and they weren't pleased with my progress. But they were the civilised kind of people. They even let me make a Hobson's choice; either help them expand the influence of their company, or get fed to a pack of War Wolves. So here I am, waiting to get gunned down at the front lines. When you are in a position like me, life is pretty funny. I look at the lo teks, meat puppets, dealers, and other riff-raff, and can't stop laughing. They gave me this net device. It's called an Unitology Obelisk marker, but I just call it a Obelisk. It gathers information from the surrounding area, and puts it before my eyes. We take bets on which of the lucky bastards will die first. Oh, I forgot to tell you? There are more than a few people like me. To be frankly honest I can’t imagine how many there are. Well, isn't this just grand. Here you are listening this dumb hacker's life story and you still don't know my name. They call us Immunes, don't know why. It really doesn't matter what I say to you. In a few seconds you will forget this conversation ever happened. Take care my friend; you are going to need all the help you can get. After all, the world is just ripe for the taking." :- Unknown malfunction, file lost. The Immune Systems Engineer is the result of the latest advancements in modern technology. A seamless mix of machinery and human ingenuity, they are expert hackers capable of capturing any structure from a safe distance. The computerized brain interface breaches the enemy network, and takes it over with a computer virus. Any valuable resource can be repaired by the Immune thanks to his vast collection of Micro-Softs, which allow them to pull up simple to read instructions for any possible situation. The Immune is also capable of assembling an Obelisk that reveals large portions of the map to the player. Immunes, named for the field engineers of the Roman Empire, are forcefully recruited from the illegal hackers within the Sprawls. They are a diverse lot, some dangerous criminals concerned only with money, others digital resistance fighters against corporate rule. Freelance hackers are disliked by the Syndicate, because they tend to do damage exclusively within the Syndicate. If a hacker is arrested for breaking corporate ICE, he is given a choice; a contract with Legion Security, or a shallow grave. Once inducted into Legion Security, Immunes are tasked with the corporate espionage that keeps Legion Security the biggest name in private military contracts, as well as combat engineer duty. As most other factions don't use computers the way that the Syndicate understand them, Immunes are forced to get creative, and to their credit they do an excellent job. Using microwave signals, hijacking telephones, or even power land lines, splicing into radio broadcasts, through a variety of means Immunes can use their technological superiority to deny the enemy assets from a distance. Category:Units